Wednesday March 27th, 2013

The exercise:

Write about: the portrait.

More visits with high school friends and their children today. More good times.

But... man, I feel old. When did we all grow up?

Heading back to Vancouver tomorrow. I expect it will be a difficult parting in the morning before we head for the ferry.

Mine:

Though Grandma is long gone now, we still see her whenever we pay a visit to Grandpa. She waits for our arrival in the living room, her portrait covering nearly three quarters of the west wall. Hard to forget her with a reminder like that.

Knowing her, that's just the way she would have liked it.

I think it's a bit much, to be honest. I suspect my husband and children feel the same way, though they've never said anything about it. Their increasing reluctance to make the trip to see Grandpa speaks for itself.

Used to be I could at least get them to stay at a nearby hotel and meet up for dinners and lunches at various cafes and restaurants around town. Now even that much is out of the question.

I can hardly blame them. I'd find a way out of the visits as well, if there was any hope of my not drowning in guilt. Besides, I really owe it to Grandma to keep an eye on her doting husband.

I just really, really wish she hadn't insisted on posing for her portrait in the nude.